Britain’s Heathrow Airport will be closed on Friday due to a power outage caused by a fire at an electrical substation. This incident may affect hundreds of thousands of passengers who use one of Europe’s busiest travel hubs.

Additionally, thousands of homes in west London also lost power and approximately 150 people had to be evacuated after a transformer caught fire in an electrical substation.

In a statement, the airport announced that it would remain closed for the entirety of Friday to ensure the safety of passengers and staff. They also warned of expected disruptions in the coming days and advised against traveling to the airport until it reopens.

Once more information about restoring power is available, the airport will provide an update on its operations.

Heathrow is one of the world’s busiest international airports and recently recorded its busiest January with over 6.3 million passengers. The UK government has approved the construction of a third runway at the airport to boost connectivity and the economy.

The London Fire Brigade responded to the fire with 10 fire engines and around 70 firefighters. The fire caused a power outage for a large number of homes and local businesses, and authorities are working to minimize the disruption.

Videos posted on social media showed large flames and smoke coming from the facility. Over 16,300 homes were affected by the power outage according to Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks.

The cause of the fire is yet to be determined and emergency services were called to the scene at 11.23 p.m. Thursday. Authorities have urged individuals to take safety precautions and avoid the affected area as crews work to extinguish the blaze.

Source: https://time.com/7270470/heathrow-airport-closure-power-outage/